Senior Field Editor Doug Rich and Kylene Scott are now attending the 2006 Cattle Industry Annual Convention Trade Show in Denver, CO.

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NCBA Convention committee meetings help set policy

(DENVER) The Feb. 3 afternoon session of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association's Annual Convention was dominated by NCBA Policy Committee and Subcommittee meetings, as well as Joint Committee and Sub Committee meetings.

At these various NCBA meetings, members worked to get working resolutions that would later be passed to the resoultions committees and eventually make it to the NCBA membership for a vote. Joint committees (NCBA and Cattlemen's Beef Board) had the same action.

The NCBA convention will conclude on Feb. 4, with NCBA and CBB board of directors meetings, an awards program and the closing general session. This final session will conclude with a membership vote upon the various important issues raised in the committees.

Sec. Johanns addresses NCBA general session

(Denver)Speaking at the second general session of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association convention today, Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns said that his office is moving forward with a thorough but speedy investigation of the situation with the most recent closure of the Japanese market.

He referred to the closure as temporary and said that he hoped the market would be open again in a matter of weeks.

The way that processors here in the U.S. remove the spinal cord differs from the process used in Japan and Sec. Johanns stated that this might have been part of the problem. "In Japan the spinal corn is removed before the animal is split unlike the process we use here in the U.S.," he said. "All of the methods used in the U.S. are safe and inspectors are present."

Secretary Johanns said he did not favor sanctions against Japan at this time. "Sanctions get batted back and forth and it becomes a tangled up process," he said.

On the subject of animal identification, Australia and other countries are agressively promoting their trace back ability to their export customers. For this reason the Secretary said we need to move forward with our animal identification program. "We need to protect this crucial source of income," he said.

He called the recent OIG audit as a "clean audit" for USDA. Secretary Johanns said that a clean audit meant USDA had received the recommendations and agreed to comply with those recommendations

Forums help inform NCBA attendees

Following the upbeat opening general session of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association's Annual Convention, Feb. 2, attendees got an concentrated look at numerous issues facing the beef industry in several different forums.

In the Beef Industry Long Range Plan forum held in the morning, listeners got in depth explaination of the NCBA's plan that will cover the association's goals in the next five years.

In another forum, the National Animal Movement Database Forum, attendees were introduced to the United States Animal Identification Organization. The USAIO, a non-profit organization, has a main goal of providing a central collection and storage of animal movement data in the U.S.

What you need to know about the 2007 farm bill was another forum producers could attend. The speaker gave listeners things to look for as well as what will influence the 2007 farm bill.

Other forums included Retail Marketing Strategies and What They Mean to Cattlemen; and Instrument grading - A Technology Whose Time Has Come. Following the noon luncheon, members and attendees also had a chance to ask questions to the NCBA officers and directors in an officer forum. Topics ranged from exports/imports and trading, Japan beef ban issues, checkoff dollars and national animal identification.

The Feb. 3 morning session will begin early with the second general session. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Johanns is set to speak.

Long Range Plan Introduced

(Denver) At the opening general session of the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) Convention today (Feb.2) the beef industry long range plan was introduced.

Donald Brown, R.A. Brown Ranch in Throckmorton, Texas, presented the new long range plan to the 7,000 NCBA members attending their annual convention. A beef industry that is profitable, growing, and sustainable for future generations is the vision of this long range plan

The four piorities of the plan are: -creating value through beef production -creating growth through consumer markets -creating sustainability through a favorable business climate -creating opportunity through global competitiveness.

NCBA members will have a chance to fully discuss this plan at the Beef Industry Issues Forums today.

The Issues Forums also will look at instrument grading, a national animal movement database, the 2007 Farm Bill and retail marketing strategies.

NCBA Convention begins in Denver

The annual gathering of cattlemen, known as the National Cattlemen's Beef Association's Annual Convention and Trade Show, began Feb. 1 in Denver, Colo., at the Colorado Convention Center.

The convention kicked off with committee meetings and a series of educational workshops and seminars. A practical hands-on demonstration of low-stress cattle handling techniques was given, including how to work on foot as well as with cowdogs and horses.

Afternoon session concluded with the annual Cattle-Fax Market Outlook. The cattle production cycle is changing with increasing herd numbers and growing beef supplies. A wild card in the cattle cycle is the drought in the southwestern states. Growing beef supplies will make export markets increasingly important.